Man douses Kent home in gasoline

Firefighters from Puget Sound Fire were dispatched with Kent Police at about 7 p.m. Wednesday after they received a report of a distressed man who claimed to have doused his two-story home in gasoline.

Police were able to talk the man out of the home in the 20900 block of 134th Place Southeast, according to a Puget Sound Fire media release. The man was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Several nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

A Puget Sound Fire hazardous materials team was brought in to assess the situation. They found that approximately three to five gallons of gasoline had been poured throughout the home. The man that had been in the home was not injured and the gasoline fumes did not reach an ignition source.

Firefighters quickly shut off the electricity to the home to eliminate any ignition sources and used special monitors to determine if there was an explosion hazard. By opening all of the windows and exterior doors, firefighters were able to reduce the fumes to a point where they could no longer burn.

A private company specializing in dealing with hazardous materials was brought in to remove the contaminated materials.